


Frostbite

by nonky



Category: Castle
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 03:30:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17890661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonky/pseuds/nonky
Summary: Prompt by bishojo_kitsune on LJ: Castle/Beckett, Frostbite





	Frostbite

Kate Beckett was known for seeking clarity in front of the murder board, intellectual energies reworking details until the jumble became a name on an arrest warrant. She was known for standing tall in her own right, happy to know she could. Privately, she was fond of sex and cuddles, but she'd done without them as well.

Richard Castle didn't fit into either sphere of her world without overlap. Hanging out with him at work felt like hanging out. His jokes made her laugh a lot of the time and he was always working to make her cheerful and sociable. It was like having a boyfriend at work who never made a move anymore. They had their moments of flirtation, but both of them seemed to feel safer keeping their bodies out of the relationship. They breezed through awkward moments and let them fade away.

It took her longer than was sensible to huddle next to him in the storage unit. He had curled his legs up to his chest and was holding his coat tightly around his bare hands. Kate's puffy vest was helping her more than his clothing seemed to be, but her whole face was freezing. Her steady, plodding pace back and forth was going more and more slowly each pass.

"We need to conserve energy and body heat," Castle croaked. "We can't go to sleep, but we can sit close and create a little pocket of warmer air."

He spread the tail of his coat out on the frozen metal; and invitation for her to sit. She gave one last look at the steel doors, and lowered herself stiffly down next to him.

"Thanks. So, I've been thinking about who would look for us first. The Captain has more important things to do, but Ryan is a worrywart. He'll hound Esposito until they both start searching. I'm betting they'll only be another hour now," she said brightly.

A big arm snuck around her shoulders, pulling her to his side. His bare hand on her arm made her shiver in sympathy for him. When they got out she'd make him wear proper winter clothing, even if it didn't suit his long and tall frame as much as a dark, swirling coat. Sometimes he was just too . . . writerly for common sense.

"I like to think there's someone closer," Castle said musingly. "A drifter who wants to redeem himself after his failed marriage. A small-time criminal looking to score but unwilling to let good people die when he could help. A hard-working cleaning lady who walks through the neighbourhood on her way home. OOH, could be some really confused rookies you could threaten."

She smiled, drawing her knees up. "That would be fun, but it probably will be Ryan and Esposito. They're the only ones who really see how crazy you make me act," she said fondly. "I used to be very by-the-book, you know."

Castle's face rest on her hair and he jiggled Kate in a cuddle. "You're welcome."

His overly modest tone made her snicker along with him. Kate brought her hand up and rubbed it over his fingers. She was no warmer than he was, but at least she'd been keeping her fingers up in her sleeves. He had to be able to type and cook breakfast for Alexis. They would get out of there, and frostbite would have him whining for months.

"I did need to loosen up. I get obsessive about the job. Being able to let a case go is how you manage the next one, and the hundreds after that," she said sadly. "I hate that people kill each other, but I want to be the one to bring them to justice."

"You do."

He did some kind of very suave move to get closer, a bare movement that slid Kate perilously near to his lap. She didn't complain at his presumption, just leaned on him as he settled them as comfortably as he could.

"We can't go to sleep," she told him. "Don't get too cozy."

"No offense to you or your company, but this is not my idea of cozy, Kate," Castle chuckled. "We don't have champagne or a DVD to watch."

"A fireplace blazing an inch from my toes would be nice, too."

He feigned a perusal of the storage container, pointedly not looking at the frozen corpse on the other side. Nodding, Castle stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"I can see the art deco influence fused with the post-industrial facade, but the floor rivets are a pain in the ass," he critiqued. "And I do like a nice fireplace."

Her laugh was mostly swallowed by her hood, but she did laugh. It was hard to explain what Castle did for her, but it was almost magical. She even believed she could freeze to death with a smile on her face.

Kate did her own little shuffle nearer, and he immediately adjusted his arms to hold her tightly. They were both shivering badly, and her skin felt damp from ice forming. Stress sweat was beading sluggishly on her face, making her even colder.

It was exhausting just sitting there, every blink getting harder to resist. Kate pictured the murder board, a sterile white span like a field of fresh snow. She pictured herself in the field, tried to trick her body into a more pleasant state. It was like skiing, and she had to ignore being cold before she could have fun. She licked dry lips and sighed as the image filled with colours and shapes.

She saw herself running and kicking at the snow, ducking playfully away and being caught against a man's chest as they fell down in the snow with a gentle whoomp. She saw the man's hands, his chin, and finally the warm gaze Castle often pointed at her when they were alone and lingering at her desk.

Kate's eyes flew open and she nudged him. "I keep feeling like I'm falling asleep," she said. "Keep talking."

"Normally I'd make a joke about Hell freezing over," Castle said deeply. "Stay with me, Kate."

"You, too."


End file.
